Shannon Noll is Playing a Surprise Show at Sydney University Right Now

Image: Twitter

Shannon Noll, a man robbed by the Australian people of Australian Idol victory in 2003, is performing on the Sydney University campus right effing now, and I have never in my life been more upset that I live in Victoria.

The University is in the thick of O Week and we’ve got to congratulate the student union on teeing up this stellar surprise performance. Shannon, who turned himself from robbery victim to national hero, is again working his transformative magic; turning this sweltering day into a key moment in Australian music history.

A photo posted by Alisha Aitken-Radburn (@lish13) on Feb 23, 2016 at 1:34pm PST

Apparently, Nollsey’s drawn a crowd so thick that most attendees can’t even get a glimpse of the living legend. Our man on the ground, Tom Finlay, estimates “there’s at least 300 people on the lawn outside the Great Hall,” and they’re all there to witness the veritable hit parade that is Nollsey’s setlist. When he played "Lift"—hit single from his 2005 ARIA certified triple-platinum record of the same name—the crowd erupted in massive cheers.

To call attendees elated would be a mistake almost as grave as passing the Idol crown to Guy Sebastian. Tom’s assessed the mood as “a total maelstrom of sweaty teenagers, exhibition tents and sexual energy.” In essence, it’s “exactly what you’d imagine if the hottest meme of the summer came to life before your eyes.” Beautiful.